Time recorder



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TIME RECORDER Filed may 13, 1932 INVENTRS Mie/wf Elim/m1? au WMM/AM MmmffE/a Patented June 16, 1936 Ara FFICE 'rum ancona Laurence EllsworthDodd and William Win'ck Harper, Los Angeles, Ca

Application May 13, 1932, Serial No. 611,225

2 Claims.

This invention relates to time recorders, and has for its primary objectthe provision oi means for utilizing a light beam to actuate anelectrical circuit and effect recordation of the time required 5 for themovement of an object from one place to another and for denitelyindicating and re= cording with precision the elapsed time between twosuccessive signals to be measured or for indicating and recording theexact time oi a single signal.

The invention is particularly, but not necesl sarily, designed for usein recording the time re quired for the passage of a moving object overa race course, say from a starting line to the finishing line of thecourse, and an important object of the invention resides in theprovision of positively and accurately functioning means for timing eachindividual runner at selected points in the course in such manner thatthe history of the individual participants will be re-j cordedseparately and becom'e a permanent rec=1 ord that will be clearlylegible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a recording systememploying separate light beams for causing actuation of correspondingcircuits and an operation of a printing chronograph in succession, withan actuation of any particular circuit upon the interception of a beam,and means for automatically resetting each of said circuits followingthe interception of the light beam thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the-following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing,

in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of the recorder;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation ci a por tion of a mechanicallycontrolled circuit breaker adapted to be employed in the circuit of therecorder;V

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic View showing the recorder installed for useupon a race course.

In carrying the invention into practice, use is made of a printingchronograph P which is partly characterized by a motor-actuated typeWheel 33, a recording tape 42, a transfer ribbon dit and an oscillatoryprinting hammer d8. Said ham mer 40 is pivotally supported at 4l so thatit may operatively coact with the ribbon 44 to cause an impression to beformed on the tape d2 at a time and under conditions hereinafter to bereferred In Figure 1 is illustrated an actuating circuit A for saidprinting chronograph P; a control cuit B for the actuating circuit; adirect current relay iI in said control circuit, the same having anarmature l2 urged to one position in which the actuating circuit isclosed and adapted to be moved by eld energization of the aforelmentioned relay so as to assume another position in which the actuatingcircuit is opened. In order that the current flow through therelay canbe normally reduced suiiciently to prevent movement of the armature I2to open the actul0 ating circuit, we provide a resistance 4 in saidcontrol circuit and the functioning thereof will be fully appreciated asthe description proceeds.

A branch circuit C of said control circuit is provided with a normallyopen, manually con- 15 trolled switch it for shunting current flowaround said resistance il to thereby suiiicientlyincrease energizationof the relay BI to cause it to operate the armature l2 and thus open theactuating circuit., y 26 A second branch circuit D in said controlcircuit is so controllable by said armature I2 that when the relay 'ilis fully energized and the switch ld is opened, said resistance 4 willremain shunted to thereby maintain the relay fully en- 25 ergized.

The lead 2l of the actuating circuit A connects at one end with thearmature I2 and at its other end with an electro-magnet E. The otherlead il@ of the actuating circuit, which is arranged in a source ofpotential F, connects at one end with a contact device Id which isspaced apart from a similar contact device I5 Aof the secondary branchcircuit D, and it will be observed that the armature I2 is interposedbetween said contact 85 devices and that same is in normal engagementwith the contact device I4. The other end of the lead 2d passes to saidelectro-magnet E, as shown.

The relay Ii connects with the plate 'I of a three element vacuum tubethrough the lead l 40 ci the control circuit B, and the lead 12 of thecontrol circuit passes to the filament 9 o1' said tube, the saidfilament being supplied with current through the battery 13.

The grid ii of the vacuum tube connects 45 through the lead dul of asecond control circuit with the electrode 8b of a light sensitive tubei' which latter constitutes means for reducing the omtrent dow throughthe aforementioned control circuit B. The electrode 8c of the device Icon- 50 nects through. the lead 8d with a source of potential 2 in saidcircuit B', and said lead connects ms; the primary control circuit B, asshown. 'Extending across from the lead 8a to the lead 8d a resistance t.55

1n. the control circuit E is a battery for supn plying current to theplate l through a rheostat 5. 'A manually actuated switch i il in thecontrol circuit B coacts with a contact device lila in said circuit,and, as illustrated, said switch connects with a Contact member il vandthe contact member l9a connects with a contact member it and between thelatter and said Contact member lll is a bridge strip 2l of conductingmaterial, which is adapted to be 'removed from the control cir cuit,preferably by percussion when the pistol shownsin Figure 2 is red at thestarting of a race.- It will be noted that the contact devices lll andI8 which are shunted acrossthe switchv i9 are adapted to be connectedwith. the metallic clips 28 and 29 at the muzzle of said pistol. Saidclips 28 and 29 are suitably connected with the muzzle by binding postsillb and tilt and the liree extremities thereof normally engage thebridge strip 2l as shown in Figure 2. It is under--` stood that contactmembers il! and il@ are insulated from the muzzle of the pistol and thatthe spring clips 2t and 2Q do not contact the muzzlevwhen the strip 2lis disengaged, thereby enabling the circuit B to be disrupted asintended. When the pistol is red the said bridge strip is disengagedfrom the clips 2t and 2t so as to dis rupt the control circuit B. Thiscauses de-energization of the magnet it so that the armature i2 willreturn against said contact device ifi, at which time, the actuatingcircuitwill be closed and the magnet E energized to cause the hammer dilto strike against the ribbon GG 'and thereby eect recordation of asignaL As previously stated, the switch l@ is manually controlled in theform of the inventionfas herein illustrated, but it should be clearlyunderstood that same may be automatically actuated in any suitable wellknown manner without departing from the scope of the hereto appendedclaims,I

lin the diagrammatic illustration (Figure 3) nu merals 3u and 3lindicate the starting line oif race course and numerals d2 and 33 thefinishing line, along which latter a beam of light isdirected toward thelight responsive device or means il from a light projecting system LaSaid system L includes a lamp 3ft and a lens 35 by means of to attractthe armature l2 away from the t which parallel light rays will be madeto impinge on said device l so that actuation will be set up in thesecondary control circuit B and iina'lly Ain the actuating circuit A tooperate the printing chronograph P and thereby record the elapsed timebetween the starting ,signal and the interval which marksthe'i'nterruption of the respective circuits the moment the light beamis intercepd by the movement of 'an object acro'ss same, The soundactuated means in the control circuit B is intended to occupy a positionin close proxu imityto the starting line .3Q-3l, and while we havedescribed that the aforementioned light beam is positioned at the lineit obviously follows that said beamvcan be projected across any selectedintermediate portion of said course.

Having described the essential features oi construction of theapparatus, the operation thereof is as 1"ollows:4

Upon reference to Figure l of the drawing, will be assumed that a steadylight beam is being projected onto the cell i. The armature iii of therelay ii is normally closed against the contact device it, and itfollows that when the switch is momentarily closed a shorting o theresist#- ance il is eiiected to thereby increase the flow oi platecurrent through said relay il! sufdciently when the light beam is nextinterrupted or ini7 tercepted. A switch l5" in the circuit A is pro=device Ill and draw same against the contact de vice i5. Subsequentrelease of the switch it will now have no effect on the relay becausethe resistance l is shorted through the contact device l5 and thearmature l2. A steady condition now 5 exists in the primary andsecondary control circuits to constitute a set condition of theapparatus. For the purpose of recording time signals, the just referredto steady condition of said circuits may be disturbed, rst by openingthe primary control circuit between the terminals l1 and i8 in themanner aforestatecl, and secondly, by interrupting the steady beam oflight falling upon the cell i. 'When the condition is disturbed byopening the primary control circuit as just l5 stated, current iow inthe primary control circuit is interrupted and the electro-magnet il isdeenergized and the armature l2 is drawn back against the contact deviceit, thus closing the actuating circuit and eiecting an operation of 20the printing chronograph to record the rst time signal, as indicative ofthe starting time of a race. ihe circuits are restored to their normalcondition by closing the switches iii and (i9, providing, oi course,there exists an open condition 22S between the contact devices il andM3.

With the circuits re-set afteran initial operation oi the apparatus, torecord said rst sign nal7 a second signal will be recorded the in stantthe light beam is intercepted by an object, 30 in this case the runneror contestant. This A changes the potential of the grid t to arelatively high negative value, causing a corresponding drop in theplate current, and likewise in the current dow through the relay i i, atwhich time the armature i2 is returned against the contact device ifi@Obviously, subsequent restoration of the light beam and a closing of theswitch it prepares the apparatus for recordation oi another time signalvided in order that said circuit may be broken 'when the apparatus isnot in use.

What we claim as our invention is:

l.l In an electrical system for controlling an instrument actuatingcircuit, a control circuit have ing a relay whose armature isadapted tobe cons nectecl in an actuating circuit to respectively open and closesame and said armature being biased to a closed position; a resistancein said control circuit for normally reducing current flow through the.relay and thus maintain said normal biased position of said armature; abranch circuit in the control circuit vhaving a switch normally open butmanually operable to shunt current ow around said resistance andsuiciently to increase energization of the relay to cause it to move thearmature from said normal biased position; a second branch circuit inthe control circuit so controllable by said armature that when the relayis fully energized and the switch is open, said resistance will remainshunted to maintain the relay iully energized; and means for disruptingthe control circuit at such point therein as to deenergize the relay.

2., in an electrical system for controlling an instrument actuatingcircuit, a primary control cirhavi: a relay whose armature is biased toa closed position and movable by full energication of the relay to anopen position; a resistance in the primary control circuit normally reeducing current iiow through the relay suiiciently to prevent movement ofthe armature from said biased position; a branch circuit in the primaryica-trol circuit having a switch biased to open 75 poaition'but manuallymovable to shunt current now around the resistance and thereby increaseenersization of the relay -sumciently to cause it to operate thearmature a second branch circuit so controllable by said armature thatwhen the relay is fully energized and the switch is open, saidresistance will remain shunted to maintain the relay fully energized;`means for disrupting the primary control circuit at such point thereinas to de-energize the relay a second control circuit including a part o!said primary control circuit and havinga separate source of current; acurrent control device in the two control circuits and connected withsaid separate source 'of current; and means for reducing current flow inthe secondary control circuit, to thus cause operation ot the currentcontrol device to reduce currentflow in the primary control circuitsuiliciently to e'ect deenergization oi.' said relay.

LAURENCE ELLsWoR'rH Donn. WILLIAM WIRICK HARPER.

